UAE police grant wish of 2 boys, make them cops for a day

Ras Al Khaimah - When they were asked why they wished to become cops, the two boys said they wanted to serve the nation.

To become a cop, chase getaway cars and catch the 'bad guys' is the kind of superhero life a lot of young boys dream of. And so when two 10-year-olds in the emirate were granted the chance to become a cop for a day - they were over the moon.
Rashid Khalifa Al Musafiri and Rashid Nasser Salmen, two Emirati Grade 4 students at Kharran Elementary School for Boys, said they couldn't believe they could become police officers.
"Our maximum dream was just to dress as cops, but we could never imagine we can become real cops," they told Khaleej Times. Although the experience was just for one day, the boys said it was "amazing, thrilling and motivating".
Brig Abdullah Khamis Al Hadidi, Acting General Commander of the RAK Police, welcomed the little cops in his office as they marched in with the emirate's top police officers. Brig Al Hadidi talked to them like a father, answered their questions, and advised them to always be "responsible, disciplined, self-confident, and study hard to turn their dreams into reality".
Lt Saleh Al Shehi, the lecturer who introduced the kids to the job, told Khaleej Times that allowing the boys to live their dream was also part of their school's innovative programme.
When they were asked why they wished to become cops, the two boys said they wanted to serve the nation, he pointed out. "It was inspiring to hear such a great and wise answer from two little kids."
Al Musafiri and Salmen joined the 'Traffic Culture' patrol where they were briefed on what the traffic team does, how reports are received, how incidents are swiftly attended to, and how some are referred to other entities. The young cops were also taken on a tour of the emergency operations room at the RAK Police headquarters.
"The kids got to know how the police patrols are deployed, how surveillance cameras are installed on critical spots across the emirate, and how radar speed is set to ensure road users' safety," the officer added.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Ras Al Khaimah